The Camera on the Snow Globe
by Destiny JoRayne Adams
Summary: Tag to 4x09, The Cross My Heart Job - Nate should feel guilty, but he really doesn't.


_A/N: My first Leverage fic! I am excited. I only just started watching the show like, a month ago, and I have been devouring both Canon and fanfiction ever since; and apparently, my muse was inspired as well. Beta'd by Reader128, who did a very fast and awesome job! And as usual, I don't own these characters, but hey, you don't get everything you want, right? Written for #4 on my Self Prompt Word list on LJ, word is _hate.

-000-

Hardison was the official hacker of the team, and Nate wasn't under any illusion that his skills with a computer could somehow surpass his, but he did know his way around a computer.

Everyone had already left, Eliot and Hardison going to catch a late night movie that probably lots of blood, guts and gore; Sophie had said that she planned to go home and soak in a tub full of bath salts and soap to "rid of the airport scent"; Nate had no idea what Parker was doing but it probably involved heights and harnesses.

For once, Nate was glad for the peace and quiet. It didn't take him long to boot up the big screen and log in—seriously, for being such an expert hacker, Hardison's password was a joke, _Parker, _really?—and activate the small camera that he had attached to the snow globe that was now in Dean Chesney's bedroom.

The thought of what Chesney had attempted to do still made his blood boil. He didn't understand how it was that a boy's life suddenly became nothing. He had seen it over and over again, first with his job at IYS and then with the team, the rich who had no conscience of how their actions affected others. They got what they wanted, no matter who got caught in the crossfire. He hated rich people, even though he himself fit into the same cluster.

_Sam would have been thirteen this year; a teenager. _

His own words coming back to haunt him, and he felt like the scab had been ripped off a healing wound that was now gaping and bleeding. He took a long gulp of whiskey, and turned his attention—and his thoughts—to the model boat in front of him.

The ringing of his cell phone was expected as was the following conversation. He could tell that Chesney was freaked; the man's nervous gaze bounced all around, as if he expected Nate to come out of the shadows, and who knows, maybe he really did. He kept his tone even, pushing the red hot anger deep inside. The only reason he hadn't sent Eliot after Chesney was because the boy who received heart was going to be okay.

Still, he didn't even feel a hint of shame when the line of Chesney's heart monitor flat-lined.

-000-

It wasn't unusual for the team to wander by on their days off out of boredom, but Nate never knew when he would see them outside a job. None of them had known about the camera on the snow globe, or what had transpired last night. And if he had his way, they never would. He had deactivated the camera; even if it was found, there was no way to track it back to him. It was the wonders of modern technology.

After he had finished eating and loading his dishes in the dishwashers, he retrieved his almost forgotten running shoes from the depths of his closet. He used to run every morning without fail, back when he was still at IYS and Sam… He cut off the thought before it completed.

He found his way to a nearby park which was nearly deserted due to the earliness of the hour. He stretched before settling into a slow jog along the walking trail. He wasn't in as good as shape a he had been, but he figured he could still get in a good mile or two before his body would force him to call it quits.

It had been a long two weeks. The job on the Emerald Island was long and hard and it had almost cost them too much. They had been extremely lucky just to walk away without their comms and Hardison's equipment. It came so close to some of them not walking out at all, and it scared Nate more than he would admit. The team teased him about being the father in their mixed up little family, and Nate was starting to realize that they weren't that far off. The thought of losing them was becoming as unbearable as the thought of losing Sam had once been.

They had only been a team for four years now; but it seemed so much longer. He looked back over his time with IYS and had begun to wonder how he had done it. The job he used to live for seemed to pale in comparison to what did now. In his entire life, he could never remember feeling as content as he did now. He had his team—his family—and they were helping people. They were making a difference, even though at times it was hard to see that.

But life wasn't without its struggles and pain. When Sam had died and Maggie had left, he felt like his world collapsed, and it was all he could do to get through the next day. It was only his hatred for Ian Blackpoole, his desire for revenge, and the bottomless bottle of alcohol he had been slowly drowning himself in that kept him going. Over time, that had begun to change, and now it was his team that kept him going every day.

It was his team that made him want to get up in the morning, the same team that always seem to _wake _him in the morning. The same team that, at times, made him laugh, cry, yell, scream, and love. They had become his anchor, the ones who probably weren't even aware of how much they did to him.

Nate snorted quietly to himself. It looked like old age had turned him into mushy sap. He could just imagine how Eliot and Hardison would react if they somehow knew his thoughts.

He finally slowed down at what he estimated to be the two mile mark. He dropped on a nearby bench and put his face in his hands to catch his breath. He hadn't had any problem sleeping the night before, but he felt like he could fall on his bed for another full week's worth of sleep. He knew he was going to give the team off a couple more days at least. After working two jobs in the last two weeks, they more than deserved it.

It didn't take him long to get home. He unlocked the door to find Eliot at the stove, stirring something together in a pot. "Hey," he greeted. He didn't mention that he had already eaten; he could eat some more.

"Hi Nate, Hardison's on his way over, he's running by the store to buy milk for Parker's cereal."

"Where is Parker?"

"Here," her head popped up briefly above the couch before disappearing again. Nate turned back to Eliot.

"Should I even ask?"

Eliot shook his head, "Its Parker. In her mind it's perfectly logical to be crawling behind the couch on all fours."

"I heard that!" Parker's head came back up to glare at Eliot. "Why isn't Hardison back with my milk yet? Maybe he's the one crawling on all fours."

Nate smiled, just as Sophie flew through the door. "Oh, I'm so glad you all are here. You would never guess what I just bought!"

"Shoes," they all chorused in unison, and Parker giggled.

"I can't believe you bought shoes before you even ate breakfast," Eliot grumbled, before setting a place with eggs, bacon and toast in front of Sophie, followed by another plate and a coffee for Nate. He didn't even bother dishing one up for Parker knowing that she wouldn't eat it. Sometimes Eliot wondered if all she ever ate was cereal and fortune cookies. No wonder she was so skinny.

"You people just have no appreciation for the finer things of life," Sophie rejoined without missing a beat.

Hardison walked in the door, carrying two gallons of milk and two boxes of Fruit Loops. Parker bounded over from behind the couch, accepting the bowl that Eliot handed her and poured the milk into it before adding the cereal. Hardison rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything, starting on his own breakfast.

Yeah, it was hard to remember what his life had been like before _this. _The days spent conning, stealing and lying their way to the top. At one time, he had refused to admit that he was a thief; he had clung to the idea that he was the honest man in the group. It had taken Jim Sterling of all people to show him the truth that he was a thief. And the thought no longer bothered him. He was a thief and he was working with four of the best criminals in the world.

_Life, _Nate thought, _is just fine the way it is. _And Nate wouldn't change it for the world.

_-1,466_


End file.
